While texting and emailing have taken the intimacy out of everyday correspondence, the new texting app “Somebody” intends to put it back in—at least somewhat! Created in partnership by American director Miranda July and Italian high fashion label Miu Miu, the iPhone app aims to strip its users of the protective shield that makes SMS and email exchanges safe for the ego—but also impersonal and overly scripted.
Here’s the gist of the app: Instead of simply texting your friend, you send the text to a third party—also a user of the app—who delivers your message in person. While you can choose the third party “messenger” from a list of available Somebody users, he or she is a total stranger, a describing factor that’s essential to the Somebody experience: to make users “nervous, giddy, and alert to the people around us.” Think of it as performance art-meets-SMS!
For more information about Somebody and to download the app, follow this link.
